Sled



E. F. HOFER- Jan. 13, 1931.

SLED

Filed Dec. 10, 1927 314mm or Patented 1a., 13, 1931 V i i team v w r-so 0F e meness v Application ru s De-ceiiiber 10.11927.

' The present invention relatesto. improve ments in sleds, and the prnnary ob ect 1 the invention is to provide an nnprovedsled construction e nbodying'n eans for checking travel of the sled and also serving asasteering device therefor.

' further ObJGCt of the invention; to

provide-a sled embodying a QQHlblllCtbSllQGfingand braklng dev ce which sso d sposed as tobe readily accessible to. the'oocupantof thesled. v I

-A.further objectoi: the invention ls to provide an'iinprovedsled embodying drag I members associated -wlth opposite runnersof thesledand operable independently of one another to serve as means for steering'the sled, or operable together by one hand of the occupant to create a braking action on thesledv 1 A stillfnrtherobj'ectof the invention re} sides in the provision of an improved brake and steering device embodying drag members operable thruthefsled runners nsuch manner as tognot retard travel'of the sled until the dragmembers are operated by the occupant of the sled for performing,aibraking or steeringfunction. V A it A still further ob'ect of the invention resides in the provision of a sled bralrefand steering device which may be readily appl ed .to existing types sleds constructed' with T-shape'drunners.

Other ob I I t N vention will be apparent durmgthe course of the; following detailed descript on. taken in connection with the accompany ng draw ing, forming apart of this specification, and in which. drawing: it: 1 H

'Figure 1 is apers'pectivewew of a sled and showing the improved brake andsteer thereof.

in device incorporated in thecjonstruction "Figure 2 1s a'iragmentary perspectivesec- -tional view lookingv at'theinner side of one oi the sled runners and; showing the manner in which the ,drag eleinent is brought into operation. Figure 3 is a, transverse sect onltakensubstanti ally on the line'3- 3 of F 1gure;1,. look- 'ingii'orwardly, and showing the mannerin ects and advantages'of the in warm. 239,118. v

" which the cross bar for simultaneous opera tion of the drag members is connected with *Lxhegrnde brackets;

Figure 4. is" an enlarged fragmentary View illustrating the: inannerfin which the drag members are pivotally connected with the sledrlunners, theviewbe'ing one looking at the sled runner from its'inner side.

.Figure 5 'isa section on line 5-5 of Figure 6 and looking in the direction of the arrows. a s A t Figure dis a .vertical of F g r Figured IlSiitPBISPGOhiVQ of OllfOf guard. 1 and .reinforcin g plates section on line 6I'6 the combined for the drag membersl Referring' to thedrawing in detaihand wherein similar reference characters desig.- Irate corresponding parts thruout. the sev- 1a1lV16VS, .thG lmproved sled has been shown as ennbodyingv a pair of metallic run- 11ers 5 of T-shape incross section providing .a flat tread portion .6 and ian upstanding ends to theupstanding web 7 of'each runner are front andrear standards 8 and 9 flange or-.web which extends upwardly" inldwa'y between the longitudinal edges of the tread portion. Gon'nectedat their lower I respectively, serving as a support for a I suitable'iseat board 10s V eachside of the: seatboard 10 are longitudinal side rails .11. which project forwardly of the front end of the seat board and are attached. in any suitable manner, at. their forward ends to the upturned forward ends of the runners 5.. Connected across Extending. along the'foiward ends. of-the side rails 11 is a it transverse, foot barflQ-Which preferably has its ends extending to each side of the sled past the siderails. --This foot bar'l2 extends across the upper side of the side rails and is .providedat its rearedge. with alongitndi'nally for ned pocket 13 which is preterably ofa length equal tov the distance between the inner or concentric faces of the. longitudinal side. rails.

A combined brake and steering device .15 is associated with eachof the, sled runners' o, andleach device embodies a drag element or member 16 adapted to be assooi-.,

f lines in Figures it willfbe seen that the point 40 will create a drag sufficient to bring the-sled to a stop in a relatively short space 1 levers 80. and pull the same 'rearwardly, or

inforcing.members are disposed betweenthe a In-using. the sled, and when desiring to steer the sled, the occupant merely grasps the'knob 31 and pulls backwardly' on the desiredcontrol lever 30 for forming a drag "on one or the other of the runners inaccord.

ancewith'the direction'in whichit is de-i' slred to steer-the sled. Thesharpness with which theturn lsmade w ll depend on the distance that the dra member is lowered beneath the tread portion of the runner,

since it willbe seen that a greater dragging action is created in accordance with thedistance that the point is moved beneath the runners; hen-desiring tostop the sled, the occupant may either grasp eaclrof the.

grasp the handle 37' and pull the cross bar 34 rearwardly, and which rearward movement, of the-cross bar. will swing both of the control levers rearwardly for operating their respect1ve drag members.

planes of the longitudinal edges of the tread portions ofthe runners. nor in which the dragmembers lti are pivotally connected to the runners it will be seen that the arms 24 are held in a forward position during travel of the sled, and thus the control levers 3O areheld in a forward position without requiring springs for returning the combined brake and steering devices to a running position;

, It will also be observed that the combined brake and steering devices 15 may be readily applied to existing types of sleds by securing the guide brackets 32 to the usual side rails F of the sled and attaching the control levers and members 16 and 18' to the sledrunners;

From theforegoing description itiwill be seen that 'a'v novel type of sled has been provided embodying nieansi'wherebythe sled maybe guided, and which meansimay also be employedas a brake for stopping travel of thesled. I Changes in detailnnay be made to the r form of the invention "herein shown and described, withoutjdepartmgfrom the sp r t of the invention or the s cope of the following claims.

. i I claim:

1, A sled comprising a pair of runners,

,a seat supported above the runners includ inga seat ,board and side rails, extending forwardly of the seatfboard, a foot board connecting the forward ends of the side rails, a cross-bar slidably mounted at its Owing to the man-' ends in the forward portionsof the side rails, a combined brake and steering device 7 for each sled. runner, each embodying an independently movable control lever for se+ lectively'creating a drag on either of the sled runners, and'a handle connected to the cross bar" whereby thecontroljlevers may be simultaneously floperated 'thru movement of the cross bar. longitudinally along theside rails.;-

2. Inasled', 'apair of runners,'a side rail supported longitudinally above each runner and each having a .guideslot provided adja'-' cent its forward end, a combined brake and steering device for each sled runner, each embodying an independently movable con trol-lever movable in said guide slot, and

means ,for simultaneouslyimparting movement to'the controlleversembodying a cross Ubar engageable, w1th the control levers and guide slots in the side.

movable along. the ra1ls. A

3. Ina sle'd,,a pair of runners, aside rail supported longitudinally above each runner c and'each having: a guide slot provided adja cent its forwardend, a combmedgbrake and steermg {lGVlCGhfOl each sled runner, each embodyingja control lever pivotally' con-" .nected at its lower endto poneof the runhers, and proJe'ctingupwardly thru the guide slot of -;its foverlyir'ig side rail,

across bar extendingtransversely of the sled'forwardly of'the control levers and having its end portions slidably movable-Fin the guide slots, and ahandle connected with 1 the cross ba'r for moving the bar rearwardlyfor simultaneously swinging both of the control levers.

4.111 a sled, a pair :of runners, a side rail supported longitudinally above each runner, guide brackets supported at the inner sides and at the forward portion of each "side rail and each providing a guidev V rails, a foot bar connecting the forward ends ,of the side rails and having a pocket 1 formed 1n its rear edge extending across the guide slots, a combined brake and steering device for each sled runner, each embodying .an 1ndependently movable control lever p1v-.

otally connected at its lower end to one of the runnersland extending upwardly thru said guide slots and a dragmember for each control lever, a cross bar fit brackets forwardly of the control levers,

and guide clips connecting the cross bar to the guide brackets whereby the cross bar may be moved rearwardly from the foot bar for simultaneous operation of the control levers. a

5. The combination with a sled having a pair of runners provided with a tread portion and an upstandingweb, said tread porslot extending; longitudinally, of the sidey I ng in the q pocket at the rearedge of the. foot bar and ,2 having its end portionsoverlyi'ng the guide tions having an opening one side of which aligns with one face of the web, of a drag member pivotally mounted upon the web portion'of each runner adjacent the forward ends of the openings in the tread portion and each having a straight edge normally aligning with the tread surface of the runners, and means for rocking the drag members about their pivotal connections for dis- 10 posing rear portions of the drag members beneath the tread surfaces of the runners.

(5. The combination with a sled having a pair of runners of T-shape in cross section providing a tread portion and an upstandin'g web, each of said tread portions having a at its inner edge, of a combined guard and reinforcing member for each runner including a plate for attachment to the web of the runners across the recesses and a segmental shaped-guard plate pro jecting above the \V6b adrag member foreach runner including a quadrant-shaped body portion pivotally connected to the Web 7 of the runners at each guard member and 5 an upstanding arm portion, said quadrantshaped body portions providing straight lower edges for normally aligning with the tread surfaces of the runners when the arm portions are inclined forwardly, a control lever pivotally connected at its lower end to each runner forwardly of the drag members, and a link connecting each control lever with the arm portion of its respective drag member.

ELMER F. HOFER. 

